Bracteantha plant named ‘KLEBA04086’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Bracteantha  named ‘KLEBA04086’, characterized by its upright, uniform and bushy growth habit; freely-flowering habit; bright orange yellow-colored involucral bracts and golden yellow to darker orange-colored disc florets; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Bracteantha bracteata.

Cultivar denomination: ‘KLEBA04086’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Bracteantha plant, botanically known as Bracteantha bracteata and referred to by the name ‘KLEBA04086’.

The new Bracteantha is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Stuttgart, Germany. The objective of the program is to create and develop new compact and early-flowering Bracteantha cultivars with attractive involucral bract coloration and good garden performance.

The new Bracteantha originated from a cross-pollination by the Inventor during the summer of 2001, of a proprietary selection of Bracteantha bracteata identified as code number GY 001, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Bracteantha bracteata identified as code number SZ 003, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Bracteantha was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Stuttgart, Germany in June, 2002.

Asexual reproduction of the new Bracteantha by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Stuttgart, Germany since 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Bracteantha are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new Bracteantha has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following characteristics have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of ‘KLEBA04086’ and distinguish the new Bracteantha as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright, uniform and bushy growth habit.     -   2. Freely-flowering habit.     -   3. Bright orange-colored involucral bracts and golden yellow to         darker orange-colored disc florets.     -   4. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Bracteantha can be compared to plants of the parent selections. Plants of the new Bracteantha are more uniform than and not as compact as than plants of the parent selections.

Plants of the new Bracteantha can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Golden Beauty, not patented. Plants of the new Bracteantha differ from plants of the cultivar Golden Beauty primarily in involucral bract coloration as plants of the cultivar Golden Beauty have yellow-colored involucral bracts. In addition, inflorescences of plants of the new Bracteantha have more involucral bracts and more disc florets than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Golden Beauty.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Bracteantha. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical plant of ‘KLEBA04086’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Stuttgart, Germany in a glass-covered greenhouse. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 22° C., night temperatures ranged from 12° C. to 16° C. and light levels ranged from 30 to 60 kilolux. Plants were grown in 12-cm containers and were pinched one time after planting. Plants had been growing for about three months when the photograph and description were taken. Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Bracteantha bracteata cultivar KLEBA04086. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female or seed parent.—Proprietary selection of Bracteantha             bracteata identified as code number GY 001, not patented.         -   Male or pollen parent.—Proprietary selection of Bracteantha             bracteata identified as code number SZ 003, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 16 days at 20° C.             Winter: About 18 days at 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—Summer: About 22 days             at 20° C. Winter: About 28 days at 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine to fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely-branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   General appearance.—Upright, uniform and bushy growth habit;             rounded plant form with inflorescences held above the             foliage. Moderately vigorous growth habit. Freely branching             habit, about ten to twelve lateral branches per plant.         -   Plant height.—About 28 cm to 32 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 30 cm to 34 cm.         -   Lateral branch (peduncle) description.—Length: About 8 cm to             10 cm. Width: About 6 mm to 7 mm. Internode length: About 5             mm to 10 mm. Aspect: Mostly erect. Strong: Strong. Texture:             Smooth, glabrous. Color: 137B.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single;             sessile. Length: About 4 cm to 7 cm. Width: About 9 mm to             13 mm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Obtuse. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Rough, glabrous.             Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing and fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: 137A; venation, 137C.             Developing and fully expanded leaves, lower surface: 137C;             venation, 137D. -   Flowering description:     -   -   Inflorescence form.—Daisy-type composite inflorescence form.             Involucral bracts and disc florets develop arranged             acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last on the plant             for about 10 to 20 days. Inflorescences persistent.         -   Natural flowering season.—Natural flowering season is during             the summer in Germany; flowering continuous.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About eight to twelve open             inflorescences per plant.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 5 cm to 5.5 cm.         -   Inflorescence depth (height).—About 1.5 cm.         -   Disc diameter.—About 1.5 cm.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Length: About 1.5 cm to 2 cm. Diameter:             About 1.2 cm to 1.4 cm. Shape: Roughly elliptic to rounded.             Color: 34B.         -   Involucral bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 100 in             several whorls. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width: About 7.5 cm.             Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             stiff. Color: When developing and fully developed, upper             surface: Towards the apex, 34A; mid-section, 31A; towards             the base, 9A. When developing and fully developed, lower             surface: Towards the apex, 34A; mid-section, 31A; towards             the base, 9A.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed in the center of the             receptacle with one whorl of filiform florets at the             perimeter of the disc. Quantity per inflorescence:             About 150. Shape: Tubular with five lobes. Length: About             7.5 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Color, immature: Close to 23A.             Color, mature: Close to 34A.         -   Androecium.—Present only on disc florets; minute.             Arrangement: Fused anther tube with five long thin linear             anthers surrounding the style. Anther length: Less than             1 mm. Anther color: Orange. Amount of pollen: Abundant.             Pollen color: Orange.         -   Gynoecium.—Present on both filiform and disc florets;             minute. Quantity per floret: One. Style color: Close to 34A.             Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma color: Close to 34A.         -   Seed.—Seed development has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Bracteantha have not been     observed to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to     Bracteantha. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Bracteantha have been     observed to tolerate temperatures from about 5° C. to about 35° C.     and to have good garden performance. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Bracteantha named ‘KLEBA04086’, as illustrated and described. 